I wonder how many mint sets will be destroyed if people cut them apart just to sell the pennies for a premium? That's if the penny is still included.
You thought incorrectly. https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-r...l-production-of-the-circulating-one-cent-coin
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-r...l-production-of-the-circulating-one-cent-coin[/QUOTE] "The Mint will continue to produce numismatic versions of the penny in limited quantities for historical and collector purposes."
It seems likely, though not explicitly confirmed, that pennies will still show up in uncirculated and proof sets next year (and maybe even for a few years thereafter). They just won't be minting any for the sake of circulation. There's so many things going on next year with the semiquincentennial that I'm intending on buying 2 unicirculated sets; one to keep intact, the other to break apart to fill the albums of all the coins I'm trying to keep up with. There's not much consistency about when uncirculated sets are released; it can be as early as June, as late as December. Though typically it's usually July or August. I imagine they may want to aim for July 4 for the 250th anniversary, but that's just a guess or maybe just wishful thinking lol. There's been a few coins that have only shown up in uncirculated sets, and sets that include them often do get broken apart to sell those coins. (A few random examples: 1970-D Kennedy half, 1973 P&D Eisenhower dollars, 1987 P&D Kennedy halves, 1996-W Roosevelt dime, etc.). The 2026 cent (and nickel) are supposed to have the dual date "1776-2026" on them, so people will probably want these so their collections are complete. But such people may be intending on just buying the whole set anyway. Some probably will be broken open, but I imagine quite a few will be kept intact.
I got the subscription to receive 2 uncirculated sets and 1 each of the proof and silver proofs each year. A few years ago, before I signed up, I missed out on the proof set, they sold out quickly for some reason and I had to go to eBay to purchase at about 50% over. This should ensure getting them, if not you risk missing out if they have a real high demand and limited production.
